Jeremiah 31:16
Thus says the LORD: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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God tells weeping Rachel to stop her tears not because her suffering is insignificant, but because there's a divine "reward" awaiting her "work." This implies that even in the deepest grief and loss, our lives and sorrows can be seen by God as valuable efforts that will ultimately yield fruit.
The prophet has just described a scene of intense sorrow and desolation, personifying Rachel weeping for her lost children, representing the tragic exile and destruction of the northern kingdom. This verse offers a sudden, powerful shift, as God himself speaks, offering comfort and a promise of restoration after this profound grief. It assures that the suffering won't be in vain, pointing toward a future return from captivity and a new beginning for the land and its people.
Imagine the most profound grief imaginable. Jeremiah uses a figure from Israel's past to paint a picture of overwhelming loss.
Jeremiah 31:15 introduces the scene with Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are 'no more.' This isn't just any sadness; it's the archetypal sorrow of a mother grieving lost offspring. While Matthew later applies this to the infants slain by Herod, the original context in Jeremiah points to the exile of the northern kingdom and the looming threat to Judah. Rachel, buried near Bethlehem, becomes a symbol of the land itself, mourning its desolation and the scattering of its people. Her grief is so deep that it transcends ordinary mourning – it’s a cry of utter hopelessness when her children are gone.
Even in the face of unimaginable grief, God offers a radical shift from despair to hope. What does 'work' and 'reward' mean here?
The powerful command to 'refrain from weeping' is immediately followed by a promise: 'for there is a reward for your work.' This isn't about earning God's favor through merit. Instead, it signifies that the suffering and loss will not be in vain. The 'work' can be understood as the period of exile and hardship endured by God's people, and the 'reward' is their ultimate restoration. God promises that His people 'shall come again from the land of the enemy.' This points forward to the return from Babylonian exile and, more broadly, to God's ongoing faithfulness in bringing His people back to Himself, even from the spiritual captivity of sin. It’s a declaration that even the deepest sorrow has a future, a turning point ordained by God.
Understand the original words
Yahweh · Hebrew Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God in the Old Testament, revealing Him as the self-existent, faithful, and redeeming One who enters into relationship with His people.
sakar · Hebrew Noun
A general term referring to a recompense, wage, or outcome—either positive or negative—that follows as a consequence of actions or service. In this context, it refers to the gracious fruit of Israel’s endurance and faith.
This prophecy addresses the profound grief of exile, personified by Rachel mourning her lost children. It offers divine comfort by promising a reward for their suffering and the eventual return from captivity, transforming their sorrow into a future of hope and restoration.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens and repopulating the area with foreigners. This event marks the end of the northern ten tribes as a distinct entity.
c. 700s BC
Assyrian Deportations from Judah
Though Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom of Judah are spared complete destruction, various deportations to Assyria occur, significantly disrupting the population and intensifying fear.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon begins its campaign against Judah, resulting in the first wave of exiles, including prominent figures and King Jehoiachin. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian Exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Zedekiah, further devastating the land and deepening the sense of loss.
This passage directly quotes Jeremiah 31:15, linking Rachel's weeping for her lost children to the slaughter of innocents by Herod, showing how this prophecy finds a grim echo in later events.
2 Chronicles 15:7This verse uses the identical phrase 'there shall be a reward for your work,' highlighting the theme that faithfulness and suffering in God's service will ultimately be recompensed, a core message echoed in Jeremiah's prophecy.
Isaiah 40:1-2Similar to Jeremiah's message of comfort after desolation, this passage calls for speaking tenderly to Jerusalem, announcing that her time of hardship is over and her iniquity pardoned, promising a reward for her suffering.
Romans 8:28This New Testament passage speaks to the ultimate good that God brings from all circumstances, including suffering and loss, which aligns with Jeremiah's assurance that Rachel's sorrow and 'work' would have a positive, divinely ordained outcome.
Hosea 1:11This verse speaks of the future reunion of Judah and Israel, proclaiming 'they shall return together from the land of the enemy,' directly paralleling the promise in Jeremiah that the exiles would come back from their captivity.
calvinJeremiah 31:15-16: "Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not."
Sic dicit Jehova, Vox in excelso audita est, lamentatio, fietus amaritudinum, Rachel plorans super filiis suis noluit (renuit, vel, non admisit) ad consolandum (hoc est, non admisit consolationum super filiis suis) quia non ipsi, (hoc est, quia non sunt)
Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voi…
clarkeJeremiah 31:16: "Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy."
They shall come again from the land of the enemy - This could not be said of the murdered innocents at Bethlehem; they never came again; but the Jews, who had gone into captivity, did come again from the land of their enemy to their own border.
God tells weeping Rachel to stop her tears not because her suffering is insignificant, but because there's a divine "reward" awaiting her "work." This implies that even in the deepest grief and loss, our lives and sorrows can be seen by God as valuable efforts that will ultimately yield fruit.
The prophet has just described a scene of intense sorrow and desolation, personifying Rachel weeping for her lost children, representing the tragic exile and destruction of the northern kingdom. This verse offers a sudden, powerful shift, as God himself speaks, offering comfort and a promise of restoration after this profound grief. It assures that the suffering won't be in vain, pointing toward a future return from captivity and a new beginning for the land and its people.
The prophet has just described a scene of intense sorrow and desolation, personifying Rachel weeping for her lost children, representing the tragic exile and destruction of the northern kingdom. This verse offers a sudden, powerful shift, as God himself speaks, offering comfort and a promise of restoration after this profound grief. It assures that the suffering won't be in vain, pointing toward a future return from captivity and a new beginning for the land and its people.
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586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, the heart of Israel's worship and identity. The remaining population is largely exiled to Babylon, leaving the land desolate.
539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Conquest of Babylon
The Persian Empire, led by Cyrus, conquers Babylon. This ushers in a new era where exiled peoples, including the Jews, are permitted to return to their homelands.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus and Return of Exiles
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Judah and rebuild their Temple. This marks the beginning of the return and restoration period, offering hope after generations of exile.
"Thus says the LORD: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land…" — God tells weeping Rachel to stop her tears not because her suffering is insignificant, but because there's a divine "reward" awaiting her "work." This implies that even in the deepest grief and loss,…
